Ulster Bank to close Stewartstown and Draperstown branches

Ulster Bank is to close its branches at Stewartstown and Draperstown.

The Stewartstown branch will close on June 27 while the Draperstown branch will shut on June 12 next year.
In a statement released this afternoon, a spokesperson for Ulster Bank blamed the proposed closures on a drop in the number of branch visits.
"We provide our customers with more ways to bank than ever before – customers can choose from a range of digital, face-to-face and local options. The way people bank with us has changed radically over the last few years: since 2014, the number of customers using branches across the UK has fallen by 40%. During the same period mobile transactions have increased by 73%," said the spokesperson.
Sinn Féin MLA Michelle O'Neill has said the planned closure of eleven Ulster bank branches in the north will hit rural areas particularly hard.
The Mid-Ulster MLA said: "News that Ulster Bank is planning to close eleven of its branches across the north including in Draperstown and Stewartstown will come as a shock to many. "Bank branches provide a key service in many local communities for both small businesses and personal banking customers.
"The loss of these branches will be particularly keenly felt in rural areas with people having to travel longer distances to access a bank. The news will also come as a blow to bank staff who will be facing an uncertain future following this announcement."